Violence and Thinking - Unthinking Violence
November 2, 2025
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30:09Now PlayingViolence and Thinking - Unthinking Violence
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Unthinking gun violence. As economist Jens Ludwig has clarified, most murders in the US aren't caused by evil people, poverty, or racism. We need to rethink what we believe about gun violence, because most murders aren't caused by faulty thinking - they're the result of people behaving automatically, impulsively, and quickly.
Humans like to think of themselves as rational beings, but we have two major modes of decision-making, and most of the decisions we make are rapid, unconscious responses, often based on wrong assumptions and faulty information. Behavioral economists call that System 1 thinking. In contrast, thoughtful, rational System 2 considerations are much slower and consume more energy. When guns in the US are so readily available, misunderstandings and arguments generated by System 1 responses can quickly escalate to fatal consequences.
The good news is that we can all learn to be more reflective, and less controlled by rapid, reflexes. Even a few hours of lessons/games in childhood to help people pause, engage System 2, evaluate a situation, and consider response options, results in less crime and violence decades later.
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Videos Mentioned:
Lead Exposure and ADHD:
References:
Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence (2025, Jens Ludwig)
Lawlessness Is a Choice (2025)
Thinking, fast and slow. (2011, Daniel Kahneman)
The nurture effect: How the science of human behavior can improve our lives and our world. (2011)
Human avoidance, selection for darkness and prey activity explain wolf diel activity in a highly cultivated landscape (2024)
Full Chapter list:
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